Liberalism (from the Latin liberalis, "of freedom; worthy of a free man, gentlemanlike, courteous, generous"[1]) is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history.

At the personal level liberalism is associated with a a willingness to be tolerant of difference and to take the view that society should not impose any specific code of behaviour, and to defending the rights of non-conformists to express their own identity however they see fit. It is to some degree the opposite of the authoritarian personality.

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